Editor’s note: The following guest post from crisis management expert Rick Amme was written several months before Newtown. In his own words, “Unpleasant as this is, it is something you have to think about in a position of leadership: prevention, not just response, when it comes to shootings in the …
The NRA’s Measured Silence
Will an atypical crisis management plan help preserve the organization’s reputation? In the wake of the tragic killings in Connecticut, there has been a remarkable silence from the National Rifle Association. The typically vocal organization has shut its Facebook page down, ceased updating its Twitter feed and definitely isn’t returning …
CDC’s Crisis Management for Flu Season
Comprehensive online crisis communication from the Center Most of us pay little heed to flu season, accepting that there will be a bump in absences from work or school and maybe hoping to boost our own resistance with some over the counter vitamins. However, influenza is more dangerous than most …
Failed Child Abduction and Atrocious Crisis Management
How do you excuse letting a kidnapper leave custody? When a man attempted to snatch a two-year-old girl from a Virginia Fashion Square mall while she walked with her parents, entering in a wrestling match with the father in the process, security officers came in to assist and managed to …
Crisis at St. Louis U
Leaked letter reignites reputation management crisis St. Louis University is facing a serious crisis, and to say that it’s not weathering the storm well would be an understatement. Early this fall SLU’s Faculty Senate and Student Government Association took a vote of “no confidence” against University President Lawrence Biondi, citing …
Good Crisis Management Means Getting Your Hands Dirty
[Jonathan Bernstein here to say that I’m proud to introduce an original thought piece by my son, “chip off the old crisis manager” Erik Bernstein.] Keep leadership involved for crisis management success Organizations frequently bring in outside crisis management professionals in time of trouble, but just because you’ve hired someone …
Online News and Reputation Management
Hard evidence for the importance of fact checking Late last month a PRWeb press release went out stating that Google had acquired Rhode Island-based ICOA Wireless for some $400 million. It’s not unusual for the big G to pick up a smaller company, so what’s the problem? Well, how about …
Generic Lipitor Recall Crisis
Evidence of a lack of crisis management concern? Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. is recalling more than 40 lots of atorvastatin pills — the generic version of the popular statin Lipitor — over possible glass contamination. Statins, or lipid-lowering drugs, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. The …
The Cascading Decline at the BBC
Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from crisis management expert Michael Nayor. It originally appeared on his blog, Crisis Management for Business. Covering for an organization rarely works. Neither does the belief that an organization is so strong and respected that it exits on a level all its …
When to Talk, When to Walk
Help with crisis management for tricky media situations Most of the time when organizations are dealing with crisis management, their leadership is very concerned, often even intimidated by, the media. This often drives people to speak when they really shouldn’t, simply because they’ve had a microphone shoved in front of …
Walmart’s iPad Abuse Crisis
Ugly employee actions create reputation management crisis for retailer We’ve seen a growing number of YouTube-based crises created not by the actions organizations themselves, but those of employees. Domino’s was one of the first high profile cases, and this month Walmart joined the list. Four employees of a Pikeville, Ky. …
Bloomberg Scores with Sandy Crisis Management
Strong crisis communication helps keep residents safe through the hurricane When Hurricane Sandy came down on New York, the city looked to its mayor for leadership, and he didn’t disappoint. Using all of his substantial crisis management skills, Mayor Bloomberg kept his constituents protected through the power of information. You …
Yes Men Are a Crisis Management No-No
Don’t fall into this common crisis management trap Every crisis presents an opportunity to learn, even if those involved choose not to take the lessons to heart. Fortunately, through case studies we can discover how to best conduct ourselves and our organizations in order to mitigate crisis management risks. In …
Twitter’s Own Crisis Management
What crisis communications “must-do” did Twitter miss? If you have a Twitter account (and who doesn’t at this point?) you may have witnessed a bit of crisis management first-hand earlier this month. When a widespread security issue within the service put a large number of accounts at risk of being …
Dow’s Premature Release Crisis
Chemical company does some quick crisis management after announcement drops early Double checking your work is always important, and it’s even better to get a couple of other people to look it over for errors. The core reason behind this, at least from a crisis management perspective, is not simply …